For many individuals with reduced mobility and/or limb co-ordination, the act of performing simple tasks that many able-bodied individuals take for granted, can provide significant challenges. Individuals, such as those suffering from a physical or neurological disability, the elderly and the like, typically require assistance to perform such tasks. Assistance may come in the form of aids or devices developed to artificially perform a function, such as wheelchairs and stair lifts, or may come in the form of human assistance such as a nursing aid or dedicated carer that assists the individual in performing selected tasks. The type of assistance preferred by an individual may depend upon the needs of the individual or the level of incapacity of that individual.
One such task that provides particular difficulty for many individuals such as the elderly and those suffering from a physical or neurological disability is the ability for the individual to correctly position themselves at a table. This may be for the purpose of eating at the table or merely being close enough to the edge of the table to use the table in a controlled manner. Such a difficulty is typically due to the fact that in order to correctly position oneself at a table requires a number of co-ordinated steps.
A first step in seating may be to withdraw the chair from the table such that there is sufficient space between the chair and the edge of the table to accommodate the person to enable them to sit on the chair. The next step is for the person to slide both themselves and the chair towards the table such that they are positioned at a comfortable distance from the edge of the table to enable them to access the table according to their needs. This step of sliding or shuffling a chair towards a table requires particular co-ordination as the person is required to move themselves and the chair together, which can be extremely difficult or impossible for those such as the elderly and/or disabled.
Further, in many care facilities such as nursing homes or elderly care units, dedicated staff are provided to assist individuals in performing such a task. This typically requires the staff to shift both the individual and the chair to position the individual at the table such that they can perform such functions as eating in a controlled manner. Such a task can be physically demanding, especially if the individual and the chair are considerably heavy and can be a significant cause of workplace injury.
As such, there is a need to provide a chair or the like that offers the ability for an individual to be positioned at a table and the like, without the need for considerable physical effort on behalf of the individual and/or the individual's carer or staff.
The above references to and descriptions of prior proposals or products are not intended to be, and are not to be construed as, statements or admissions of common general knowledge in the art. In particular, the above prior art discussion does not relate to what is commonly or well known by the person skilled in the art, but assists in the understanding of the inventive step of the present invention of which the identification of pertinent prior art proposals is but one part.